He had too many complaints to voice.

“Wait, how does cesspit soil create a corpse smell? Shouldn’t it smell like… you know, that?” Xia Chen was both amused and exasperated. He held the black, slippery fruit gingerly, afraid he’d crush it and end up smelling like a corpse himself.

“Besides, what’s the use of this thing?! Am I supposed to impersonate a corpse with it?”

[The mutation direction of magical plants is uncontrollable. Each mutated plant has its unique function, and the host must independently develop effective uses.]

Xia Chen sighed, too dejected to argue with Xia Tongban. Aside from pranks, what value did this fruit hold? He certainly wouldn’t use it on himself.

He dubbed the black fruit the “Stinky Fruit”—a simple and direct moniker. In truth, the Stinky Fruit was odorless until crushed. Xia Chen collected them all, wrapped them in a cabbage leaf, and stored them in an empty slot. This item, like the bamboo tube firearm, would likely end up gathering dust in his warehouse.

After he had harvested all the Stinky Fruits, the remaining bare branch withered and decayed rapidly. Within seconds, only a pile of black ash remained, which was then absorbed by the white sand of the Magical Land, leaving no trace behind.

Xia Tongban prompted: [You can continue planting now.]

“Forget it. I’m out of water and will wait until next time.” Xia Chen stood and brushed off his hands. Having just picked the Stinky Fruits, his luck was probably terrible. He wouldn’t give Tongban a chance to mock him.

Just then, Xia Tongban suddenly alerted him: [Someone is calling for you.]

Xia Chen quickly exited the space and had just sat down at his desk when Dong’er knocked on the door and entered. “Little Uncle, Xu Birdy is looking for you.”

“Don’t call him by that nickname,” Xia Chen scolded, then followed Dong’er out.

Dong’er pouted and muttered under his breath, “But I’m your eldest nephew.”

Xia Chen stopped in his tracks. “Where’s the pouch I gave you earlier?”

“Here.” Dong’er took out the pouch, and Xia Chen snatched it away. Half of the snacks inside were still left.

“Confiscated.” Xia Chen ignored his stunned eldest nephew and walked to Xu Helai, who was waiting for him in the courtyard with a smile. He handed the pouch to him. “These are for you to eat.”

“Thank you, Yuanbao. This is for you.” Xu Helai gave Xia Chen a small bamboo basket. As usual, it contained some wild fruits picked from the mountains and a few eggs wrapped in leaves. It was unclear whether they were bird eggs or wild chicken eggs.

Previously, Xu Helai never brought much when he came over. He lacked tools and could only make do with a few large tree leaves. This time, he brought a full basket that looked brand new, probably freshly woven.

Xia Chen’s eyes lit up, “Did you weave this basket yourself?”

“Yes, do you like it, Yuanbao?” Xu Helai smiled, revealing two dimples, “If you like it, I can weave one for you.”

“Sure, thanks! If you have time, just make one for me.” Xia Chen wasn’t very close with the village children, and Xu Helai was his only friend. They had exchanged countless gifts, so accepting a bamboo basket from him was no big deal.

Although Xu Helai didn’t need to study, he had many things to do. Xia Chen heard from him that he woke up early every morning, ran two laps around the mountain (initially one lap), then ate breakfast, did morning lessons, and studied scriptures with Old Taoist Xu.

Additionally, there was farm work to be done. Xiannu Temple was too remote and not well-known, so incense offerings were scarce. If they didn’t grow their own crops and relied solely on the villagers’ offerings, it would be impossible to sustain the two of them.

It was the busy spring plowing season, yet Xu Helai had taken time out to visit Xia Chen. The two chatted for a while, and Xia Chen shared some stories he had heard from Scholar Meng. Then, Xu Helai reluctantly bid farewell.

Just before Xu Helai left, Xia Chen remembered he needed to borrow some luck. He grabbed Xu Helai’s arm. “Next time you come, bring me some soil and water. Anywhere is fine, as long as it’s not from the edge of the latrine pit.”

He thought that since Xu Helai was part of the Taoist sect, even though he didn’t know who the founding patriarch was, he must have someone revered above him. Therefore, Xu Helai’s luck should be pretty good.

Although Xu Helai didn’t understand the reason, he agreed. As soon as he left, Dong’er approached with his younger brother, cheeks puffed out and hands on his hips. “You’re biased!”

Xia Chen glanced at him sideways and asked with a smile, “I heard Dong’er still wet the bed at seven years old?”

Dong’er, who had just been as fierce as a little rooster, instantly froze.

“I heard the village children call you Pee…”

“I was wrong!” Dong’er shouted, his face flushed. “I won’t call him Xu Birdy anymore.”

“Good boy.” Xia Chen patted his eldest nephew’s head affectionately and turned his gaze to his younger nephew.

Having witnessed his brother step on a landmine, Nan’er shook his head frantically, “I won’t call him that either.”

Xia Chen nodded in satisfaction and strolled towards the private plot behind his house with an air of seniority.

Earlier, Xia Chen had purchased corn seeds from the mall. After they matured, he used the Gathering Technique to collect over a dozen seeds. Later, he spent three silver to buy a book titled “Basic Planting Methods for Common Food Crops.” According to the book, now was the season for planting corn.

Corn was a high-yield crop. Before Xia Chen’s transmigration, the common high-quality varieties on the market could yield over a thousand jin per mu.

Xia Chen planned to plant two stalks behind the house. Once they matured, he would find a way to convince his father that this was a new high-yield food crop and then promote it gradually.

As for the source of the seeds, he had too many random seeds on hand. His big brother and father would buy them for him whenever they saw seed sellers, and Old Taoist Xu had also given him some. When the time came, he would insist that he didn’t know who gave them to him and let them investigate on their own.

He didn’t dare plant too many, only digging two holes, throwing two seeds into each, and covering them with soil and water. He didn’t even dare plant them together, instead interspersing the two holes among a few cucumber seedlings.

Afterwards, life returned to its peaceful routine. Xia Chen attended school and studied as usual. In between, he couldn’t resist planting the Magical Land seeds two more times. Not daring to ask his nephews to find soil, he dug some soil from behind the house once, and another time from the courtyard.

The resulting plants were ordinary crops—a large Chinese cabbage and a celery stalk. They matured quickly, in less than a shichen, and were unceremoniously tossed into the warehouse. 

Since he wasn’t sure if his bout of bad luck had dissipated, Xia Chen didn’t dare to draw prizes. The gem pool seemed high-level, and gems were hard to accumulate. He decided to wait a bit longer before trying his luck.

For now, he settled into a simple routine of tending his fields and studying. Twice a day, he refreshed the mall. Now that he had money, he was no longer the impoverished boy who could only longingly admire the mall’s finer offerings.

That’s why, when “The Method of Making Sugar from Sugar Beets” appeared, Xia Chen splurged on the book he’d been coveting.

Additionally, he bought books such as “Simple and Easy to Learn: Malt Sugar Production Method,” “Homemade Vinegar Brewing Techniques,” “Soy Sauce Production and Manufacturing,” “Home Cultivation Methods for Bean Sprouts,” and “Teaching You How to Make Healthy and Nutritious Homemade Tofu.” These were far cheaper than the sugar beet book. The most affordable, the bean sprout cultivation book, cost only one silver.

Xia Chen strongly suspected that Tongban had scammed him with the price of the sugar beet book. Since he had drawn sugar beet seeds, the system likely inflated the price to swindle his money. Determined to make the most of the situation, he hoarded as many books as he could; his stingy system would only raise prices, never lower them.

Buying all the books cost a little over three gold. Xia Chen specially found a slot to store them, planning to read and gradually implement them as circumstances allowed.

A few days later, Xu Helai descended from the mountain, bringing Xia Chen two exquisitely woven baskets. Xia Chen was delighted! His only container in the space was a broken pot, so the baskets were a welcome addition.

If he weren’t so young and closely watched by his family, and was forbidden from wandering after school, Xia Chen would have secretly found a way to buy more containers in the space.

In addition to the baskets, Xu Helai also brought the soil and water Xia Chen had instructed him to collect.

This kid was truly reliable. Without prompting, he handed the water jug and the small bamboo basket containing soil to Xia Chen, explaining their sources, “The water is mountain spring water from Cool Water Creek. I fetched it this morning. It’s the same water my master uses to brew tea. He says it’s of high quality. The soil is from the collapsed mud wall beside the side hall. I sun-dried it to ensure there were no small bugs or dirt in it.”  

Xia Chen wished he could drag Dong’er over to listen. Why was he biased? Look at other people’s children!

He thanked Xu Helai profusely. The boy’s face flushed slightly, his two dimples remaining visible as he shyly spoke, “I’m very happy to be able to help Yuanbao. If there’s anything you need in the future, you can always ask me.”

Xia Chen instantly felt the joy of raising a child. When a child knows how to repay you, an old father’s heart truly melts.

After delivering the items, Xu Helai prepared to leave. Xia Chen quickly stopped him, offering two boiled eggs. Life in the temple was austere, so he always wanted to feed the kid something delicious whenever he visited.

As soon as Xu Helai left, Xia Chen locked the door and entered the space. With a hint of excitement, he asked his system, “Tongban, do you think I still need to wash my hands?”

It had been nearly half a month. Surely the stinky hand luck should have disappeared by now.

[The system believes in metaphysics but cannot calculate metaphysics. Please make a confident judgment, Host.]

Well, that was as good as saying nothing.

Xia Chen gritted his teeth. He trusted Xu Helai more than his unhelpful system. First, he’d plant the Magical Land seeds. If he got a good outcome, even just a new plant and not a mutated one, he’d try the prize draw tomorrow. 

Mind made up, Xia Chen swiftly dug a hole, planted the seeds, and carefully used the soil and water Xu Helai had brought. After offering a silent prayer, he waited.

The first day brought no change.

The second day, the seeds sprouted.  

By the third day, tender seedlings peeked through the soil.

---

Author’s Note:

Years later, the renowned Taoist Master Xu Helai of Xuanqing Temple^[1]Fact: From the raws, Xuanqing (玄清观) is different from Xuannu (仙女观), so the Temple might have been renamed later on. expressed that his biggest regret in life was helping someone find some soil and water when he was nine years old, which resulted in his childhood sweetheart being taken by someone else.

Solemn Declaration: The male lead is not Xia Tongban or Xu Helai. I will introduce him in the next chapter so don’t stand on the wrong side!

Super Solemn Declaration: The male lead is not grown from a seed. My best friend is so evil. As soon as I mentioned growing a male lead, she immediately thought of vines. I can’t be led astray.

🌻🌻🌻

Don’t forget to comment & rate this novel on NU and join the Discord group to get updated for the latest releases!